Surrey sewage main erupts into family home

A Surrey family is facing a hefty bill, after the City refused to cover damage caused by a burst City sewer main that sent sewage flooding into their rented, uninsured home.

Dan Donnelly was shocked to discover the burst sewer main on arriving home this weekend and found waste water flooding his front yard and his home.

The area that suffered the most damage was his eight-year-old son's basement bedroom, as sewage water four inches deep cascaded into his home.

"I didn't know what to do — I've never been faced with a lake where my house is," said Donnelly.

Donnelly made frantic phone calls to the City as soon as the incident happened. He was told by a City official that his insurance would cover the cost of the cleanup.

But Donnelly is a renter and doesn’t have tenant’s insurance. His landlord's insurance will cover some of the damage, it won’t pay for any of Donnelly's lost possessions.

"I told them, 'How should it be my cost that I need to incur, since it was their main that broke and came into my home?' It's not as if I asked for this."

Donnelly said he had complained to the City numerous times over the past six months about a leak in the sewer main, but it was not adequately fixed. He thinks the City should take responsibility for the cleanup and pick up the tab.

The City of Surrey told Donnelly it is investigating exactly what happened. In the meantime, Donnelly said he's glad to have friends who can help him with an unenviable cleanup job.